This spring training, the snap chat revolves around two University of Hawaii football specialists who transferred from TCU.
Long snapper Jax Thompson and placekicker Caleb Sempebwa have impressed during workouts that often begin under the dawn’s early light at the Ching complex.
Thompson and Nick Pang are competing for the snapper’s position vacated when Solomon Landrum and Hunter Higham entered the transfer portal in December. Sempebwa and incumbent Kansei Matsuzawa, who converted 12 of 16 field-goal attempts last year, are contenders as point-scoring kickers. Ben Falck, a backup punter who handled kickoff last season, completed his UH eligibility.
Thompson and Sempebwa were seeking better opportunities when they entered the portal and left TCU. UH coaches pursued them separately. After they both received scholarship offers from the Warriors, Sempebwa recalled, “we spent a couple days thinking about it, praying about it, asking our families what they were kind of feeling on it. We ended up committing together.”
Thompson aspired to be a Division I snapper at Flower Mound High in Texas, where he began attending the Rubio Long Snapping program and Kohl’s long-snapping camps. “They evaluate you, rank you, and you get better and start climbing the leader board,” Thompson said. “And the rest is history.”
Thompson said a long-snapper is often referred to as “fourth-down quarterback,” adding, “it’s a lot of fun. It’s part art form, and part effort and skill.”
Through video sessions and experiments, Thompson said his snaps rotate 31⁄2 times in the 8 yards to the holder on field-goal attempts.
“Instead of holding the ball with the laces,” right-handed Thompson said, “I spin the ball so the laces are on my non-dominant hand, and I’ll throw the ball like that. My hands aren’t actually on the laces when I snap the football. That allows me to get the right rotation, and it makes it easier for the holder and kicker to do their jobs.”
All of Thompson’s snaps arrive with the laces up.
With the Manoa mist, Thompson has opportunities to snap in challenging conditions.
“In Texas, the weather is weird,” Thompson said. “One day it’ll be freezing cold, the next day it’ll be 80 degrees. With it raining every day (in Manoa), I’ve gotten a lot of wet-ball work. I’ve definitely improved in that. I used to struggle snapping a wet ball. With tips from Coach (Jack) Ray, I’ve improved my wet-ball skills. I’m hoping to improve further in that.”
Sempebwa began focusing on place-kicking as a junior at McKinney High in Texas. Because of his athleticism, Sempebwa uses his core and leg strength on kicks. Most kickers rely on a soccer-style approach and torque from hip-generated movement to launch kicks.
“My hips, my groin, my quads are pretty healthy,” Sempebwa said. “I’m able to use less of them, and just use more physical strength.”
Because his approach is more square to the football, he can adjust his kick if he notices a blitzer off the edge, or to compensate for the wind, or to hit the sweet spot if the hold is unsteady.
“I use different facets, depending on the situation,” Sempebwa said. “If it’s right-hash short or left-hash long, or if it’s a game-winner, or if there’s a little bit more wind, it just depends. There’s so much that can happen on field goals that are simply out of your control. As a kicker, I think it’s your responsibility to do the best you can to make those factors non-existent.”
Both have enjoyed Hawaii since arriving in January.
“Lots of hikes, lots of beaches,” Thompson said. “It’s beautiful around here.”
